Congress cracks down on immigration

Monday, March 25, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

In the first major congressional action on the issue in a decade, the House passed a sweeping bill last week to combat illegal immigration.

The bill would double the U.S. Border Patrol by adding 5,000 agents over five years. It would crack down on immigration smugglers, document forgers and immigrants who remain in the United States after their visas expired, and bar terrorist groups.

It would prohibit illegal immigrant children from attending public schools in some states and would set up an 800 number in California, Texas, Florida, New York and New Jersey that would permit employers to check workers' immigration status.

Reps. John Ensign and Barbara Vucanovich, both R-Nev., voted for the bill in a 333-87 vote. They also supported the public education provision in a separate vote.

Before the bill's passage, many provisions that addressed legal immigration were stripped, including a controversial amendment that would have required immigrants to pass standardized tests to prove English proficiency.

Vucanovich supported that measure, while Ensign opposed it.

The Senate must vote on its version of the bill before it can be passed to President Clinton, who has indicated he could accept the House version with some changes.